VRRP vs IRF on 5900 connected to a 'loop'

[fab2]

Hi all,

I have a pair of 5900 as Site Switch-Routers , both Switch are connected to a WDM ring.

I planned to configure vrrp between the Switchs (for connectivity from outside via WDM), pls see the drawing:

 I am wondering: why not setting the 2 Switchs in IRF Cluster, instead of using vrrp ?

Is there any advantage ?  (I do not know IRF very much, I pretty new with HP Switches).

In that case, I could NOT make a link-aggregation to the WDM because the 2 links are going to different Switchs (which I do not manage, this is customer's ones).

Does this settings make a ethernet loop ? In mean inside IRF Cluster ? (the vlan is propagated between the 2 WDM Switchs)
(pls see the drawing:)

Thanks !

Fab

[Vince-Whirlwind]

In your first diagram (the VRRP one), which VLANs are carried across the inter-switch trunk?

[fab2]

Hi Vince,

only one vlan is carried on the inter-SW trunck (point-to-point connexion), and this is not related with uplink interconnexion (not related with the vrrp that is carried accross the WDM ring).

For my original question, I should not have shown the inter-SW physical links. Here is a better drawing:

Thanks
Fabien

[HP-Browniee]

Hi

When you make an IRF stack, this stack will act as 1 logical switch. So you have to assign only 1 ip address on it. With vrrp you will have to use 3 ip addresses.

I can't see any reason why you should not use IRF in this scenario.

Kind regards

[Vince-Whirlwind]

He's thinking about VLAN100 being in a loop with the IRF setup.

On the whole it's unlikely the non-IRF option would be the best way to go.

He will have to ensure STP is setup correctly so that one of the switchports on his IRF switch puts itself into blocking mode.

[fab2]

Thanks Browniee, so now I get the main difference between both technologies : 1 or 3 addresses. Now in which senarii shall we use IRF / vrrp ...  maybe the issue with the loop ? :

Thanks Vince,

yes indeed in the first place I was going for vrrp, and not IRF because I was afraid of making a loop inside IRF.

I don't know very much IRF (I'm pretty new with HPE), so in doubt I did not go for IRF.

Since, I have configured one HP 5900 IRF and *think* IRF does not create L2 loops ... but I need to verify that if I go for IRF for my setup. I 'm gpoign to open a new post for that.

Thanks for your help.

[fab2]

the new post:

https://community.hpe.com/t5/LAN-Routing/HP-5900-does-IRF-create-L2-loops/td-p/6915721